United Religions Initiative

The stated purpose of the United Religious Initiative is "to promoting enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, ending religiously motivated violence and creating cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings."
URI, the brainchild of Episcopal Bishop William Swing of San Francisco, and patterned after the United Nations, envisions "a world where the values and teachings of the great wisdom traditions guide people's service, where people respect one another's beliefs, and where the resourcefulness and passion of people working together bring healing and a more hopeful future to the Earth community."

Along the way, a few organized religions have endorsed the effort, but the Roman Catholic authority, the fundamentalist Southern Baptists, and even Episcopalian leadership -- some have called Swing a "heretic" -- have not given the initiative their blessings.